The invention relates generally to heat sink systems. More specifically, the invention relates heat sink attachment systems.
Heat sinks are commonly attached to heat-generating components on circuit boards to help dissipate heat more effectively. These components include various processors, digital circuits, power electronic switching devices, and so forth, that generate heat during operation. Heat sinks effectively transfer heat from these components to the air, or other surrounding medium. As heat sinks are designed to provide a much larger air-contacting surface area than the component, the component is able to more effectively dissipate heat when thermally coupled to a heat sink. This helps to prevent overheating of components, which may cause system malfunction and possible eventual failure.
Heat sinks can be attached to components and circuit boards through several methods, such as adhesive methods and mechanical methods. Adhesives include thermal tapes, glues, and epoxy, and are appropriate for less massive heat sinks and for use with components with lower power dissipation. Conversely, mechanical attachment methods are more common for heftier heat sinks and components with higher power dissipation.
Mechanical methods of attaching heat sinks generally involve securing a heat sink directly to a component or circuit board to be cooled. This is typically done by either screwing the heat sink onto the component or circuit board or clamping the heat sink onto the circuit board. In the case of circuit boards or thinner components, these attachment methods can impart uneven pressure and bend the circuit board, causing damage to solder joints. Damaged solder joints adversely affect the integrity of the circuit, which can cause problems from operational errors to whole system failures.
There is need for a means to mechanically attach heat sinks to heat-generating components and circuit boards so that the heat sink is in sturdy contact with the component while evenly distributing pressure, preserving the physical integrity of the circuit board and solder joints connecting to other components.